Reports to:  Executive Director
Position Type: Full-time/exempt
Salary Range:  $58,000 – $70,000 per year

At MFCC, we understand the importance of early childhood education. With a deep commitment to our community and the families we serve, our dedicated team is focused on making lasting impacts. If you’re looking to join a team that helps youth and families thrive and shapes the future, MFCC is the place for you!

Here’s a little bit about who we are at MFCC:

At MFCC, we empower individuals and families through innovative services. These services include an emergency food shelf, supportive family home visiting, direct financial or in-kind support to families, parent support groups, parent education opportunities, community events, childcare services for young children, and school-aged youth during out of school hours, the Milton Farmers Market, and more. We are a team that leads with compassion, embraces adaptability, fosters resilience, and takes a mission-driven approach to building community. We believe our team culture, and our commitment to CCAREs (Community, Compassion, Adaptability, Resilience, and Empowerment) set the stage for our work across the organization.

Our Core Competencies: 

We believe our team culture, and our commitment to CCAREs (Community, Compassion, Adaptability, Resilience, and Empowerment) set the stage for our work across the organization. To ensure we’re living our values, we ask every employee to demonstrate the following core competencies: 

  • Commitment to our mission:
    • Acts with a clear commitment to the organization’s mission to empower families through innovative services. Connects daily work and decisions to the broader purpose, champions innovation in service of family empowerment, and continually seeks ways to advance the mission through collaboration and creativity.
  • Commitment to our values:
    • Compassion – Demonstrates care, empathy, and respect for others. Builds strong, trusting relationships by actively listening, honoring diverse perspectives, and offering support during challenges. Prioritizes the well-being and dignity of clients, colleagues, and partners in all interactions.
    • Adaptability – Responds effectively to changing needs, priorities, and environments. Adjusts strategies based on feedback and context, embraces innovation, and remains open to new ideas and ways of working to better serve families and the community.
    • Resilience – Sustains energy, optimism, and focus through challenges, setbacks, or ambiguity. Demonstrates perseverance in pursuit of team and organizational goals, and models a growth mindset by learning from setbacks and fostering continuous improvement.

Position Overview:

Unique to the world of Vermont’s Parent Child Centers, our childcare director holds the vision and implementation of our early childcare services – reaching beyond our internal program and supporting this work and need across our community. The director is also responsible for the management and supervision of the Early Childhood Program to ensure high quality care and education of children ages six (6) weeks to five (5) years. The ECP Director is responsible for all aspects of maintaining a high quality child care program that is in full compliance with and exceeds the licensing and quality requirements for a 5-STAR licensed child care center program in the State of Vermont.  The ECP Director reports directly to the MFCC Executive Director, and is a critical voice on the MFCC Leadership team in providing center-wide support and role modeling for the positive management, leadership, and supervision of the organizational mission, vision, and goals.  

Qualifications:

Education: 

Must meet minimum qualifications for Program Director as described by the Vermont Child Development Division for Licensed Child Care Center Programs (section 7.3.1).

Experience:

Candidates will have at least three years of experience working as a teacher or leader in a childhood or early childhood/youth services setting.  In addition they will have demonstrated leadership skills in areas of program and curriculum development, oversight and team management. Preference for candidates who have supervisory experience coaching, supervising, and/or supporting other educators. 

Position Duties, Responsibilities, and Expectations:

High-quality program management for MFCC’s Early Childhood Program

  • Manage and coach a team of 6-10 staff to drive high-quality classroom management, positive behavior management, and team collaboration across classrooms. Ensure all staff training and professional development requirements are consistently met and documented.  
  • Recruit and enroll 16 students annually in the EC program, ensuring thoughtful management of the enrollment and onboarding process for families, with a focus on equity and inclusion. 
  • Ensure MFCC Early Childhood Program (ECP) meets or exceeds VT Licensing Regulations and the NAEYC criteria for accreditation, including:
    • Record keeping 
    • Health and safety
    • Classroom environment
    • Curriculum 
    • Staff supervision
    • Staff training opportunities, qualifications, and background checks
    • Emergency Response planning
      • Ensure at least one administrator (childcare director or the ED) is up to date with FEMA trainings
      • Review the plan annually in collaboration with the Executive Director
      • Fire Drills monthly and tracking
      • Annual Emergency Response practice with staff
  • Coordinate, promote, and engage in program activities and special events to increase and encourage positive connections between staff, parents, and community.
  • Maintain program credentials, including license renewal, and VT 5 STAR status for Step Ahead Recognition System (STARS) enrollment
  • Maintain public and private grant funding, as well as federal and state contracts:
    • Manage grants and contracts as required (including but not limited to: Strengthening Families grant, Specialized Child Care grants, CCFAP, CACFP)
    • Participate in regional, state, and national committees/work groups as required by grantors 
  • Supervise and coordinate the MFCC food service program. Ensure compliance with all elements of the CACFProgram, including appropriate training of staff, record-keeping and reviewing meals and claims. 
  • Manage the EC program budget in collaboration with the Executive Director and Associate Director. 
  • Adhere to and promote the NAEYC Code of Ethics. 
  • Lead 18-month effort to recommend next steps to re-open or not an ACT 166 preschool for up to 20 3-5 year olds. Lead efforts to evaluate and consider return to NAEYC accreditation. 

Strategic leadership & community development

  • Drive positive organizational culture alongside fellow leadership team members. Learn and model the MFCC Policies and Procedures. Create a positive work environment for all staff by role modeling positive and effective communication, and promoting the Strengthening Families framework for working with children and families.
  • Establish and maintain collaborative partnerships with community and statewide providers to continuously improve access to resources for families enrolled in MFCC Early Childhood Child Care Program.
  • Participate in monthly Chittenden County Child Care Director Network meetings, monthly Strengthening Families Community of Care conference meetings, and other relevant communities of practice.
    • Opportunity to expand area childcare supports through training offerings, events, and connections for families to additional PCC services in Milton, Westford and possibly beyond over time. 
  • Represent the needs and strengths of the early childhood program on the MFCC leadership team through proactive communication, and collaboration with fellow MFCC leadership team staff.
  • Engage in professional development training annually as required for maintaining Program Director credentials. 

Other duties as assigned.

Physical/environmental Requirements 

There are several physical demands in this youth-facing role. Which include but may not be limited to: 

  • Sit, stand and/or move about for extended periods.
  • Actively engage in play activities with students.
  • Visual acuity to read and write printed materials, computer screens and observe students’ movement.
  • Hearing and speech abilities for ordinary and telephonic conversations and to speak to small groups of children.
  • Ambulatory ability to move around the classroom, playgrounds and assist with play-oriented learning activities.
  • Ability to lift children, carry, push and move supplies/furniture/etc. of light-to-medium weight (under 40 lbs.) on an intermittent basis.

EEO Statement

Milton Family Community Center is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We deeply believe in the power of community, and in turn strive to ensure the voices of all community members are heard, respected, and included. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, age, religion or belief, disability, sex, gender reassignment, marriage/civil partnership, pregnancy/maternity, or sexual orientation. We welcome all applicants, regardless of background. We recruit, hire, employ, train, promote and compensate all individuals based on their job-related qualifications and abilities. We examine our unconscious biases and take responsibility for always striving to create an inclusive environment that makes every employee and candidate feel welcome.

MFCC also provides reasonable accommodation to qualified individuals with disabilities or based on a sincerely held religious belief, in accordance with applicable laws. If you need to inquire about an accommodation, or need assistance with completing the application process, please email mfcc@miltonfamilycenter.org.

Compensation & Benefits:

  • Opportunity to join a dedicated, passionate team driving real impact in the community! 
  • Compensation based upon education and experience. Salary range between $58,000 – $70,000/year. 
  • Employee-supported insurance plan. 100% of the monthly premium for an individual plan is covered by MFCC. 
  • Employee-supported dental and vision plan.
  • Short-term, long-term and disability insurance. 
  • SIMPLE IRA with employer match up to 3%
  • Childcare discount of 60% for employees, pending availability of a slot.
  • On-going, personalized professional development opportunities including limited tuition assistance for related studies. 
  • Access to member benefits from our affiliations with Common Good Vermont, Lake Champlain Chamber, and VTAEYC
  • Employee Assistance Program.
To Apply Please Go Here!